


Convergent Evolution

by Iambic



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-12-20
Updated: 2009-12-20
Packaged: 2017-10-04 19:20:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/33249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Iambic/pseuds/Iambic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Rodney stops to smell the roses.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Convergent Evolution

1.  
The Athosians have a saying, and the people of Earth have a saying, and these two sayings are similar in two respects. First, they both mention flowers as metaphors; second, they are both meant to be used in conjunction with an individual who focuses too much on the goal and not the journey. Teyla, having grown up with one of these sayings, recognises the spirit of it in a comment Lorne makes, and as she finally manages to understand the irony with which he delivers his statement, comes to a great misunderstanding about the welfare of certain members of the science personnel.

You explain, when she comes rushing into the labs, worry written clearly and boldly in her features, that when a person like Parrish 'takes time to smell the roses', he is simply pausing in his work to take pleasure in his surroundings. Then Teyla explains the reason she had been so concerned.

It all makes sense, in the end. And you find the Athosian proverb to fit well to the case of Parrish the hapless botanist, who does indeed seem in danger of sniffing the wrong siney flower and wasting an afternoon suffering from sometimes harmless but always incapacitating hallucinations.

2.  
You're not supposed to have instincts, let alone follow them. It's not scientific. The few occasions you have, you ignore them. But Elizabeth would think them important, were you stupid enough to actually mention them to her (again).

The fact of the matter is, your science never fails. (Mostly never fails. But you don't think too much about that.) As long as you've got the hard facts, the equations, you're golden. But you can't interpret instinct, emotion, anything that isn't clear-cut or consistent. It doesn't matter if you're trying to interpret your own instincts or the look on Teyla's face when you accidentally insult her culture, the way Elizabeth clasps her hands behind her back when she doesn't respond to a question, the way Sheppard won't stop watching you even when he won't talk to you.

But something is telling you you should be elsewhere right now, somewhere on your own so that the explosion to come doesn't do you any damage. Whatever's coming, it can't be good. You can only hope that the botanists won't resort to similar measures as they did last time. You suffered terrible allergies for a week rather than stop drinking coffee, all because someone couldn't keep their mouth shut about someone else's mother.

3.  
You find yourself walking out onto the deck, where the ocean beats rhythmically against Atlantis' sides. The sense of yet-to-come still weighs on you, unfamiliar and uncomfortable, but Ronon's leaning against the railing just outside, and he's the only person you could really be happy to see right now. With Ronon, you never have to say anything at all. It doesn't matter that you will speak – you know yourself well enough to know you will – but anything you say is just words, and Ronon doesn't care.

You say, "It's nice out here. I don't really get the chance to come outside much, too busy saving the city and everything else that I'm needed for, I'm a very busy man, but – it's nice out here."

Ronon glances back at you, and he might be smiling.


End file.
